Global System for Mobile Communication

(GSM)

Syed Muhammad Munavvar Hussain

B.Sc. Electrical Engineering
University College of engineering & Technology,
Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan
To our Beloved Parents

&

Esteemed Teachers
Preface
The development in the GSM technology is remarkable achievement and
phenomenal technological advance in the history of mankind. GSM, the Global
System for Mobile Communication, is a set of ETSI standards specifying the
infrastructure for a digital cellular service. The standard is used in approx. 85
countries in the world including such locations as Europe, Japan and Australia. The
GSM standard uses a digital signal, which is harder to intercept than an analog
signal. In addition, digital signals allow multiple calls on the same channel, so the
network can handle a greater amount of calls than analog-based signals. GSM is a
very vast subject which can not be covered in such a short report, but it needs
several books as are present and even enormous information is available on
internet. That is the reason, our effort must be considered as just an introduction to
the GSM technology.
In first chapter, a brief description about the GSM frequency limits and some other
important specifications are given for the new readers.
In the next chapter, cellular system is introduced with emphasize on the cells, their
types. The network areas of the GSM are also explained.
In the third chapter, a very short history of the technology is produced, omitting much
of the extra details which may be tiresome and boring for the audience of this report.
The discussion on the radio aspects of the GSM was necessary in this report to
make reader understand the channels, burst structures etc. in chapter 4. Finally, a
paragraph with pictorial description may be helpful in visualizing the process of
speech to radio waves conversion.
The GSM architecture is the heart of this report and is dedicated much more pages
for proper discussion. The three main parts of the system; RSS, SSS, OMS are
explored step by step with considering all components of each of these, for instance,
MS, SIM, BTS, BSC, MSC etc. Further, MSC components are also mentioned with
short notes about their functions
In chapter 6 and 7, the GSM services and function are stated in the form of brief
overview. The services include three main headings; teleservices, bearer services,
and the supplementary services. The function involve; transmission, RRM, MM, CM,
and OAM.
The final chapter enlists the main advantages and disadvantages associated with
the GSM technology.
The illustrations are added at each and every point where we thought the basic
ideas may not be clear with only theoretical discussion or where the concept
embedded was abstruse for readers. The reason behind this careful treatment of the
material is that our audience is not specifically the engineers and highly qualified
technicians. We wrote the material for all those interested in getting some basic
information about this great technology.
We strongly recommend for our qualified readers to visit the websites and the books
to explore in more details.

Syed Muhammad Munavvar Hussain

Brief Contents

Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Illustrations

Chapter No. 1
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Introduction to GSM 1

Chapter No. 2
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GSM Network Areas 6

Chapter No. 3
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History of GSM 15

Chapter No. 4
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GSM Radio Aspects 19

Chapter No. 5
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GSM Architecture 32
Chapter No. 6
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GSM Services 63

Chapter No. 7
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GSM Functions 68

Chapter No. 8
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Advantages & Disadvantages of GSM 76

Chapter No. 9
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Conclusions 78

Appendices 81
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Citations 87
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Contents
Chapter 1

1.1 Introduction 2
1.2 Two Main Standards of GSM 3
1.3 GSM frequency bands 4
1.4 Specifications and Characteristics for GSM 5

Chapter 2

2.1 GSM Network Areas 7

2.1.1 Cell 7
2.1.2 Location Area 7
2.1.3 MSC/VLR Service Area 8
2.1.4 PLMN Service Area 8
2.2 Cell-Detailed Description 9
2.2.1 Why Hexagonal Shaped Cells are better? 9
2.2.2 Types of Cells 10
2.2.3 Clusters 12
2.3 Frequency Reuse Concept 13

Chapter 3

3.1 The Beginning of GSM 16

3.2 Groupe Speciale Mobile 16
3.3 Digital Technology 16
3.4 The ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) 17
3.5 Vision becomes a reality 17
3.6 The European Telecommunication Standards Institute 17
3.7 Rapid Growth 17

Chapter 4

4.1 Radio Transmission Aspects 20

4.2 Aspects of Radio Propagation 21
4.2.1 Macroscopic variations 21
4.2.2 Microscopic variations 21
4.2.3 Digital TDMA Implementation 21
4.2.4 Access methods 22
 4.2.5 Time division multiple access 22
4.2.6 Transmitting/ receiving processes 23
4.3 Carrier Frequencies 23
4.4 Bursts 24
4.4.1 Burst Structure 25
4.4.2 Burst types 25
4.4.3 Burst parts 27
4.5 Channels 28
4.5.1 Traffic Channels 28
4.5.2 Control Channels 28
4.5.3 Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) 29
4.5.4 FCCH and SCH 29
4.5.5 Random Access Channel (RACH) 29
4.5.6 Paging Channel (PCH) 29
4.7 Discontinuous Transmission 30
4.8 Discontinuous reception 30
4.9 Power control 31
4.10 From Speech to Radio Waves 31

Chapter 5

5.1 Basic Architecture 33

5.2 Radio Subsystem (RSS) 33
5.2.1 Mobile station 34
5.2.1.1 Functions of a Mobile Station 35
5.2.1.2 Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) 36
5.2.1.3 Functions of a SIM 37
5.2.1.4 Mobile Equipment (ME) 37
5.1.2.5 Mobile subscriber identities in GSM 38
5.2.2 Base Station System (BSS) 40
5.2.2.1 Base Station Controller (BSC) 41
5.2.2.2 Packet control unit 42
5.2.2.3 Base Terminal Station (BTS) 43
5.2.2.4 Functions of BTS 45
5.2.2.5 Sectorization 45
5.2.2.6 BTS-BSC Configurations 47
5.2.2.7 TRAU 47
5.2.2.8 Transcoder (XCDR) 48
5.2.3 The Interfaces in the GSM 49
5.2.3.1 Um-interface 49
5.2.3.2 Abis-interface 49
5.2.3.3 A-interface 50
5.2.3.4 Ater-interface 50
5.2.3.5 Gb-interface 50
5.3 Switching Subsystem (SSS) 51
5.3.1 Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 52
 5.3.1.1 Other GSM core network elements 53
5.3.1.2 Other network elements of MSC 53
5.3.1.3 Functions-based Types 54
5.3.2 Home location register (HLR) 55
5.3.2.1 Data stored in the HLR 56
5.3.2.2 Other GSM core network elements 56
5.3.2.3 Functions of HLR 57
5.3.3 Visitor location register (VLR) 57
5.3.3.1 Data stored in VLR 58
5.3.3.2 Other GSM core network elements 58
5.3.3.3 Functions of VLR 58
5.3.4 Authentication centre (AUC) 59
5.3.5 Equipment Identity Register (EIR) 60
5.4 OMS 60

Chapter 6

6.1 GSM Subscriber Services 64

6.2 Supplementary Services 65

Chapter 7

7.1 Network operations GSM functions 69

7.2 Transmission 69
7.3 Radio Resources Management (RRM) 69
7.3.1 Handoff 70
7.4 Mobility Management (MM) 72
7.5 Security and authentication 72
7.6 Communication Management (CM) 72
7.7 OAM 73
7.8 Mobile Subscriber Roaming 74
7.9 MSISDN Call Routing 75

Chapter 8

8.1 Advantages of GSM 77

8.2 Disadvantages of GSM 77

Chapter 9

Conclusions 78
Appendices

Appendix A 81
Appendix B 84

Conclusions 87
List of Illustrations

1. Figures
Figure 1.1: The Simple Representation of GSM Network------------------------------2
Figure 2.1: Network Areas---------------------------------------------------------------------7
Figure 2.2: Location Areas--------------------------------------------------------------------8
Figure 2.3: MSC/VLR service area----------------------------------------------------------8
Figure 2.4: Cells----------------------------------------------------------------------------------9
Figure 2.5: Types of Cells--------------------------------------------------------------------10
Figure 2.6: cluster -----------------------------------------------------------------------------12
Figure 2.7: Frequency Reuse---------------------------------------------------------------13
Figure 4.1: Mobile Radio Propagation-----------------------------------------------------20
Figure 4.2: Digital Radio Transmission System----------------------------------------23
Figure 4.3: Frequency Division in the Uplink Spectrum------------------------------24
Figure 4.4: Structure of a Multiframe------------------------------------------------------24
Figure 4.5: Burst Structure-------------------------------------------------------------------25
Figure 4.6: The TDMA frame structure---------------------------------------------------26
Figure 4.7: Organization of bursts, and TDMA frames-------------------------------26
Figure 4.8: Speech Conversion sequence of operations----------------------------31
Figure 5.1: Main Components of GSM Network----------------------------------------33
Figure 5.2: components of the MS---------------------------------------------------------35
Figure 5.3: Subscriber’s Identity Module-------------------------------------------------36
Figure 5.4: BSS Structure--------------------------------------------------------------------40
Figure 5.5: Detailed BSS Components---------------------------------------------------41
Figure 5.6: BTS with its antennae----------------------------------------------------------43
Figure 5.7: Two types of BTS arrangements--------------------------------------------44
Figure 5.8(a): Site Sectorization-Omni Cell site-------------------------------------------46
Figure 5.8(a): Site Sectorization-Omni Cell site-------------------------------------------46
Figure 5.8(b): Site Sectorization-Tri Cell site----------------------------------------------46
Figure 5.8(c): Site Sectorization-Hex Cell site---------------------------------------------46
Figure 5.9: Transcoder Interfacing---------------------------------------------------------48
Figure 5.10: Simple description of Interfaces-------------------------------------------49
Figure 5.11: Signaling protocol structure in GSM---------------------------------------50
Figure 5.12: The NSS--------------------------------------------------------------------------51
Figure 5.13: The OMC------------------------------------------------------------------------61
Figure 7.1: Inter-BTS, Intra-BSC-----------------------------------------------------------71
Figure 7.2: Call routing for a mobile terminating call-----------------------------74

2. Tables
Table 1.1: Frequency range for different GSM standards------------------------------4
Table 3.1: History of GSM, a quick overview--------------------------------------------18
Acronyms

Chapter 1

CEPT Conference of European Posts and Telegraphs

DCS Digital Cellular System
E-GSM Extended Global System for Mobile communications (Extended GSM)
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute
GMSK Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying
GSM Global System for Mobile Communication
Earlier it was “Groupe Speciale Mobile”
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
LPC Linear Predictive Coding
MHz Mega Hertz
PCS Personal Communication System
PLMN Public Land Mobile Network
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
R-GSM Extended Global System for Mobile communications (Extended GSM)
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access

Chapter 2

AC Alternating Current
BS Base Station
CGI Cell Global Identity
LA Location Area
LAI Location Area Identity
MSC Mobile Switching Center
VLR Visitor Location Register

Chapter 3

ADC American Digital Cellular

AMPS American Mobile Phone System
FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
NMT Nordic Mobile Telephone
PDC Personal Digital Cellular
TACS Total Access Communication System

Chapter 4

AGCH Access Grant Channel

BTS Base Transceiver Station
DTX Discontinuous Transmission
FACCH Fast Associated Control Channel
FCCH Frequency Correction Channels
GP Guard Period
kHz Kilo Hertz
MS Mobile Station
PCH Paging Channel
RACH Random Access Channels
SACCH Slow Associated Control Channel
SCH Synchronization Channels
TB Tail Bits
TSC Training Sequence Code
Chapter 5

A-MSC Anchor MSC

AuC Authentication Centre
BSC Base Station Controller
BSIC Base Station Identity Code

CC Country Code
EIR Equipment Identification Register
GMSC GSM Mobile Services Switching Center
G-MSC Gateway MSC
GPRS General Packet Radio Services
HLR Home Location Register
IMEI International Mobile Equipment Identity
IMSI International Mobile Subscribe Identity
Kbps Kilo Bits per Second
MCC Mobile Country Code
ME Mobile Equipment
MMI Man Machine Interface
MNC Mobile Network Code
MSIN Mobile Subscriber Identification Number
MSISDN Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number
MSRN Mobile Station Roaming Number
MT Mobile Terminal
NDC National Destination Code
OMC Operations and Maintenance Center
OMS Operation and Maintenance Subsystem
OSS Operation and Support System
PCU Packet Control Unit
PIN Personal Identification Number
PSPDN Packet Switched Public Data Network
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
PUK PIN Unblocking Key
RA Rate Adaptation
RAM Random Access Memory
ROM Read Only Memory
RSS Radio Subsystem
SGSN Serving GPRS Support Node
SMS Short Message Service
SMSC Short Message Service Center
SIM Subscriber Identity Module
SMSC Short Message Service Centre

SN Subscriber Number
SSS Switching (or Network) Subsystem
TA Terminal Adapter
TE Terminal Equipment
TMSI Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity
TRAU Transcoding and Rate Adaptation Unit
UE User Equipment
Um Radio Interface
W Watt (unit of Power)
WAP Wireless Application Protocol
XCDR Transcoder
V-MSC Visited MSC

Chapter 6

AoC Advice of charge

CCITT Comite Consultatif International Telegraphique et Telephonique
CUG Closed user groups
DTMF Dual-tone multi-frequency
Chapter 7

CM Communication Management
MM Mobility Management
OAM Operation, Administration and Maintenance
RRM Radio Resources Management
SS7 Signaling System number 7

Chapter 8

W-CDMA wideband-code division multiple access

Chapter 9

UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication System

Appendix A

CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

IS-54 Interim Standard 54
IS-136 Interim Standard 136

Appendix B

EDGE Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution

EvDO Evolution Data Only (optimized version of CDMA 2000)
HSDPA High Speed Downlink Packet Access
Full discussion can be found on scribd.com by the name:

GSM Report Full

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